Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-08

"There's two thousand" he said, shov-
ing the money into her hands, "an6
here's your bills. Pay 'em, snd keep the
change. And if ever you want anythin'
that's on this earth you ask JACK Grady
and he'll get it for you"
/ II she rejoiced in her degradation she
should have been nesr the acme of hap
piness at that moment. The big ssfe
cast its shadow over them as she turned
heI face to him to bid him good bye.
CHAPTER VII.
A few days after the robbery, Inspector
Byrnes wss sitting in his office consider
ing the reports of some of his detectives,
J which mad Just been handed in, when s
gentleman was announced whose ac-
quaintance the reader has already made,
and whose profession wss journalism.
To the Inspector he had been known for
a number of years. After the first greet
ings, the conversation turned on the rob-
berry.
"Have you anything for publications."
inquired te visitor.
Nothing that would be worth your
printing. Nothing Of Importance has
turned up. l dare say that you, SIS man
of Imagination, could MAKE suggestions
regarding the matter as valuable IS eny
you would be likely to pick up here"
The journalist felt q glow of compla
cent PLEASURE. In truth, he was in the
habit of priding himself 10 some extent
on his faculty of placing himself imagins-
/ lively in q foreign position end thence
reasoning out motives and probabilities
after the manner of Edgar Allen Poe in
mis- " Myster7 of Marie Roget" He had
thought good deal about the Manhattan
robbery, and had arrived at certain con-
illusions which he fantfed might have
some importance.
"Wel, Inspector" he said, with q
modes. wave of his hand, lever body has
his theory, and ell theories are equally
good or bad until the right one is nit
upon. | make no pretensiOns, but l Lave
my ideas, Of course. Now, for instance,
l don't know whether it has occurred to
you that this crime may not have been
in ell respects g professional job?"
'That is an interesting idea," the Ia
spector replied, with sn engaging air OF
attention. GLOW did you arrive at it?"
"By reasoning, simPly-assisted, per
haps, by little observation here and
there. Mind you, I abstain strictly from
any personal applications. l have no
particular individual in my mind. BUtIt
is at least conceiva0le-is i nOt?-that
persons Of good social position should
also be deficient on the moral side-tha1
reputation for virtue should not always
involve the possession Of it."
''Now that you mention il, l can see
that such might be the csse,h replied the
Inspector, quietly.
every well. Now, having assumed
thst such s person may exist, and even
abide within the confines of this muniCi-
pality, Elet US 90 a step further and
imagine that for some cause or other he
d1ds his expenses are becoming larger
than his receipts. 1t would then be
natural for him to desire to reverse the
situation and make the receipts exceed
the expenditures. Am I right so far?'
"COmp.eteiy so, it seems 20 me-"
answered the detective, cordially.
"This hypothetical person, deficient, as
we have assumed, on the moral side, and
also in his cash balance, casts about him
for s means of repairing his losses, The
ordinary operations OF business Of he be
engaged in business) are too slow or too
uncertain for his needs. But there are
other means open to him. Wealth is ly
ing around him on every side; ne lives
and works in the midst Of millions; many
of his personal acquaintanCes, who re- |
gard him with unlimited confidence, ere .
men rich beyond the dreams Of svsriCe. I
There IS money enough, in short, If only
one has mind to Icy his hands upon it." .
"You state the fact very clearly. Well .
them"
"Weu, then, let US suppose that he de- +
cides TO recOup himself in this unc0n- .
ventional out effective way. The next .
l. b 6
end No doubt he might do il by simple .
and direct robbery. He might alter 6
check or pocket dozen bonds out of his
friends desk, or avail himself in q score
of ways of his privileges as sn associate
upon equal terms with gentlemen. But
ell these crude ways are open TO objeC-
ton. The chances are that, sooner or
later, he will be found out. But the
money would be Of no use to him unless
his social repute remained unimpaired,
and therefore it is indispensable TO him
to secure that repute against any risk.
Consequently he must adopt more secret
methods"
"To be sure he must. I see that
plainly"
'Now," continued the journalist, eX-
banding more and more under the infu-
ence Of this genial encouragement, "you
dent need ne to tell you that there is 2
complete class, Of the community who
have no social position, but who exist
by and for robbery. These people have
made q study of sll the methods OF crime,
and are as expert in their business as the
trained bank clerk or dry goods mer-
chant is in his. But to Offset their eX-
pertness they ere subject TO one great
are nearly always known
ss criminals to the police, and, what is
almost as bad, to one another. II they
could only combine their professional
knowledge and cleverness with the good
name OF such an individual as this i'm
aginary friend Of ours, their opDortuni-
ties of success would be increased ten
fold Why, therefore, should not our
friend conduct his operations through
these gentry as intermedisries?"
"That would be most ingenious
scheme, would it nOt?" murmureG the In
spectoT with Ell cir of admiring spprecia-
ton. "But would there not be some risk
of their giving him away, or even black
melting him?"
81 am coming to that" returned the
journalist with triumphant smile. "Our
friend would wish so TO arrange mat
tiers that lie should not appear in the
matter st sIl-OT 81 aly rate to not more
thsn one person. And who should that
person be? He must be man aCCus-
toned to keep secrets, in the first place.
Secondly, he must maintain q certain
kind OK relations with the criminal
classes, Thirdly, he must also have deal